Luca Filippi will return to IndyCar this weekend at St. Petersburg after taking the second seat at Dale Coyne Racing for the 2016 season opener.
Filippi has raced sporadically in IndyCar over the past three years since making the move to America from Europe, competing at all of the street and road courses for Ed Carpenter Racing last year.
Over the winter, the Italian took part at the collective pre-season test at Phoenix before heading to Sebring last week with Coyne in preparation for St. Petersburg.
Conor Daly is the only driver firmed up for the full season with Coyne, and although Filippi’s participation beyond St. Petersburg is far from certain, the team owner is known to be keen to buck the trend of recent seasons and stick with a consistent line-up throughout 2016.
“It was nice to test at Sebring last week before starting the season. It was my first time back on a road course in an Indy car since Sonoma last season, Filippi said.
“We had a very good test and it was a good way to get ready for St. Petersburg. We were mainly focusing on getting a good balance and a good pace. I normally always try to focus on a race pace because if you can be fast and consistent then you have a better chance for a strong result.
“I feel very positive going to St. Petersburg. First of all, Honda have done a good job in providing us with an improved aero kit and more power. I think it will be very competitive between all the teams.
“From the team point of view, I see that Dale Coyne Racing is really motivated to boost the level of the team even more this year, and I think that with myself and Conor we have a good combination and I think we could really get strong results.”
The Grand Prix of St. Petersburg takes place on March 13.
